Alert archive / Texas / Tornado Warnings in 1988

Tornado Warning 2, NWS San Angelo, TX

May 10, 1988Concho County, Tom Green County, Texas

NWS San Angelo, TX issued this tornado warning at May 10, 1988, 8:31 PM CDT for Concho County, Tom Green County, Texas. It was in force for 29 min. 1 report came from inside the area while it was in force.

The area

The counties it named, with what was reported inside it.

The facts

Issued
May 10, 1988, 8:31 PM CDT (01:31 UTC)
Expired
May 10, 1988, 9:00 PM CDT
In force
29 min
Issued by
NWS San Angelo, TX
Area
Whole counties

Counties Concho County, TX, Tom Green County, TX

The radar

The WSR-88D network and its archive begin in 1991, so there is no radar volume for this alert.

What was reported inside it

TimeReportWhereRemark
May 10, 8:34 PM CDTThunderstorm Wind 0Concho, TX

NCEI Storm Data entries that began inside the alert's area while it was in force. Before 2003 the local storm report archive is thin, so this is the record of what happened rather than what was phoned in. Storm Data before 1996 records only tornadoes, thunderstorm wind and hail.

The nearest sounding before it

Midland Regional, TX (KMAF), launched 00:00Z, 1.5 hours before the alert went out and 203 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, Midland Regional, TX at 00:00Z on 1988-05-11Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 430 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, Midland Regional, TX at 00:00Z on 1988-05-11The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 67 square meters per square second.193958Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
430 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-114 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
2598 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
37 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
67 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
265 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
0.0
Supercell composite
5.2

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
TTAA00 KSJT 110131
TORSJT
TXC095-451-110200-
 
BULLETIN - EBS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
TORNADO WARNING
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX
831 PM CDT TUE MAY 10 1988
 
THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN SAN ANGELO HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WARNING EFFECTIVE UNTIL  900 PM CDT
FOR PEOPLE IN THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES...
 
IN NORTH CENTRAL TEXAS
          ...WESTERN CONCHO
IN SOUTHWEST TEXAS
          ...EASTERN TOM.GREEN
 
AT 830 PM CDT THIS EVENING...THE DPS REPORTED A POSSIBLE TORNADO NEAR
MERETA. RADAR ALSO INDICATES A POSSIBLE TORNADO NEAR MERETA. THIS
TORNADO IS MOVING SOUTH AT 15 MILES AN HOUR.
 
IF YOU ARE IN THE PATH OF A TORNADO...THE SAFEST PLACE IS A
BASEMENT.  GET UNDER A WORKBENCH OR PIECE OF STURDY FURNITURE.
IF NO BASEMENT IS AVAILABLE...SEEK SHELTER IN AN INTERIOR ROOM
SUCH AS A CLOSET ON THE LOWEST FLOOR.  USE BLANKETS...PILLOWS...
OR CUSHIONS TO COVER YOUR BODY.  AVOID WINDOWS.
 
THIS IS A DANGEROUS STORM SITUATION.  ACT QUICKLY.  IF YOU ARE
IN THE PATH OF THIS TORNADO MOVE TO A SHELTER BELOW GROUND IF
AVAILABLE.  OTHERWISE...GO TO A SMALL INTERIOR ROOM ON THE LOWEST
FLOOR POSSIBLE.  AVOID WINDOWS.  ABANDON CARS AND MOBILE HOMES
FOR A REINFORCED BUILDING OR GET INTO A DITCH OR CULVER7T.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before this tornado warning went out, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

In the hours before

Special weather statement, May 10, 4:01 PM CDT, 4 hours 30 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX
401 PM CDT TUE MAY 10 1988

...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE HAS ISSUED A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH
FOR REAGAN AND CROCKETT COUNTIES FROM 400 PM CDT THIS AFTERNOON UNTIL
1000PM THIS EVENING. THE SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS ALONG AND 70
STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST OF LINE FROM 55 WEST PLAINVIEW TO 15 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF SANDERSON...THIS INCLUDES THE EXTREME WESTERN PORTIONS OF
CROCKETT AND REAGAN COUNTIES.

AT 350 PM CDT SAN ANGELO RADAR SHOWED NO PRECIPITATION WITHIN THE CONCHO
VALLEY...BUT SIGNIFICANT THUNDERSTORM DEVELOPMENT WAS OCCURING WEST OF THE
PECOS ALONG A DRYLINE EXTENDING FROM BROWNWOOD TO FORT STOCKTON INTO THE
BIG BEND.

REMEMBER...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
THE DEVELOPMENT OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN OR CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA.
PERSONS IN THESE TWO COUNTIES SHOULD BE ALERT FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER
CONDITIONS AND CONTINUE TO LISTEN TO YOUR NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL TV
AND RADIO STATIONS FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION.
Special weather statement, May 10, 5:27 PM CDT, 3 hours 4 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX
527 PM CDT TUE MAY 10 1988

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR REAGAN AND CROCKETT
COUNTIES UNTIL 10 PM THIS EVENING...

AT 515 PM THIS AFTERNOON...SAN ANGELO RADAR SHOWED THUNDERSTORMS...SOME
WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN...WEST AND NORTHWEST OF THE CONCHO VALLEY. THE
HEAVIEST STORM WAS LOCATED NEAR THE REAGAN COUNTY LINE IN GLASSCOCK COUNTY.
THESE THUNDERSTORMS WERE MOVING SLOWLY TO THE EAST AND NORTHEAST.

ALTHOUGH NO PRECIPITATION WAS INDICATED IN THE CONCHO VALLEY...REMEMBER
...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
THE DEVELOPMENT OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN OR CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA.
)PERSONS IN THESE TWO COUNTIES SHOULD BE ALERT FOR RAPIDLY CHANGING WEATHER
CONDITIONS AND CONTINUE TO LISTEN TO YOUR NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL TV
RADIO STATIONS FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION FROM YOUR NATIONAL WEATHER
SERVICE OFFICE.
Special weather statement, May 10, 6:39 PM CDT, 1 hour 52 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN ANGELO TX
639 PM CDT TUE MAY 10 1988

...A SEVERE THUNDERSTORM WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT UNTIL 10 PM THIS EVENING
FOR THE EXTREME WESTERN CONCHO VALLEY...

AT 630 PM THIS EVENING...SAN ANGELO RADAR SHOWED STRONG THUNDERSTORMS...
MOST WITH VERY HEAVY RAIN...FROM NEAR GIRVIN NORTHEAST TO THE NORTHWEST
CORNER OF STERLING COUNTY. THE HEAVIEST OF THESE THUNDERSTORMS WAS LOCATED
ALONG THE REAGAN-GLASSCOCK COUNTY LINE NORTH OF BIG LAKE AND 10 MILES NORTH-
WEST OF STILES...ELSEWHERE AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN
HAD FORMED 35 MILES NORTHEAST OF SAN ANGELO FROM ROWENA TO TENNYSON. THESE
STORMS WERE MOVING EAST AT 10 MILES AN HOUR.

THESE THUNDERSTORMS WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE EAST AND NORTHEAST DURING THE
NEXT SEVERAL HOURS PRODUCING PERIODS OF VERY HEAVY RAIN...SMALL HAIL...
STRONG AND GUSTY WINDS AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING. REMEMBER THAT THUNDERSTORMS
STRENGTHEN RAPIDLY AvND MAY PRODUCE DAMAGING WINDS AND LARGE HAIL WITH LITTLE
OR NO WARNING...CONTINUE TO LISTEN TO YOUR NOAA WEATHER RADIO OR LOCAL MEDIA
FOR LATER INFORMATION FROM YOUR NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE.
Special weather statement, May 10, 6:51 PM CDT, 1 hour 40 minutes before
SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE ABILENE TX
645  PM CDT TUE MAY 10 1988

...HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS MOVING TOWARD WESTERN SECTIONS OF THE BIG
COUNTRY...

AT 635 PM CDT HEAVY THUNDERSTORMS  WERE LOCATED FROM NORTHERN SCURRY
COUNTY TO NEAR BIG SPRING IN HOWARD COUNTY. MOVEMENT WAS EAST AT
25 MILES AN HOUR.

HEAVY RAIN, STRONG GUSTY WINDS, AND POSSIBLY HAIL CAN BE EXPECTED IN
THESE STORMS.

STAY TUNED TO LOCAL RADIO OR TV OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST
WEATHER INFORMATION.

STAY TUNED TO LOCAL RADIO OR TV OR NOAA WEATHER RADIO FOR THE LATEST
WEATHER INFORMATION.

The office that day

Everything else NWS San Angelo, TX issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
May 10, 7:46 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSJTConcho, Runnels, Tom Green59 min
May 10, 8:04 PM CDTTornado WarningSJTConcho, Runnels, Tom Green26 min
May 10, 8:57 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningSJTConcho, Tom Green2 hr
May 10, 8:57 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSJTConcho, Tom Green63 min
May 10, 10:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSJTTom Green45 min
May 10, 11:11 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningSJTSchleicher, Tom Green64 min

Nearby

Tornado Warnings in Texas, 1988Every tornado warning in 1988Tornadoes in 1988

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; verification from NCEI's Storm Data; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive.